Unbroken
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Summary: "Be careful." It's been 2 years, since her best friends and little not-really-brother, Yōichi were taken away from her, leaving her with the devil. Beaten and bruised, Mikan is beyond feeling anymore, despite that she puts on a smile, a mask. A mask made out of stone, so how come he can see through it? "It's only a matter of time till it breaks and your left with broken pieces."
1. Chapter 1

_**Dreams**_

"_Where are we going?"_

"_To our new house"_

"_Our what?!"_

"_You really didn't think we'd live their forever did you?"_

_She stiffened. Despite others belief, the 7 years old wasn't stupid. Of course she knew they wouldn't live their forever, they never lived in one place forever. She never questioned why, but every time she felt like she left a part of her behind. _

"_Hurry up!"_

_Maybe it was the whispers of the winter, but something about her mother's sharp tone made her shiver. Struggling through the piling snow, the little girl tried to catch up with her mother. _

_Looking at her mother while walking through the harsh weather, the girl was struck by how old her mother looked. While most children would say the same, the little girl wasn't talking about appearance; in fact her mother was beautiful. With her long, chestnut colored hair, porcelain-like skin, and chocolate colored eyes, her mom was the definition of beauty. Her mother could probably pass for her older, more attractive sister. Except for her eyes. Her eyes seemed old. Like she has lived for 100 years watching humanity fall and fall again. Watching everything she loved crumble down into absolutely nothing. _

_The thought made the 7-year old girl stop short. What exactly has her mother been through to make her eyes look like that? The little girl always knew her mother was strong, but how strong was her mother, actually? Would her mother break? The little girl already knew the answer._

_Her mother would never do that; her mother was the strongest person she knew. Even though she raised the little girl by herself, her mother was still standing. Firm and strong, and looking at her mother one last time before trying to catch up, the little girl vowed to be just as strong. Strong just like her mother._

_How wrong was she? _

It wasn't the screams of victim or the clatter of broken glass that woke Mikan up. It was the slight tug on her sleeve that made her jump out of her bed, wide-eyed.

"Yōichi, are you alright?" Mikan all but shouted

"Shut up, ugly pig." Was his monotone response.

Mikan calmed down a little, knowing that was his way in telling her he was fine, but she wasn't satisfied. Even if he says he's fine, didn't mean that he hadn't already faced Kyo's wrath.

"Pull up your sleeves"

Sighing, Yōichi reluctantly lifted up both his sleeves, so Mikan could have a good look.

Most people would gasp seeing a little boy's arm 7 different shades, but Mikan didn't even blink an eye. Though Yōichi swore he saw a vein throb. Twisting his arms around to get a better look, Mikan was satisfied. Though Yōichi did have bruises, they were all green, blue, or yellow, meaning they weren't all that new. Mikan couldn't say the same for her though. Coming home at midnight probably wasn't the best idea for any person, but coming home at midnight _with_ the stench of alcohol around you and with a drunk Kyo awaiting you was an even worst idea.

Black and purple bruises littered her stomach, legs, arms and face, a black eye deemed it's way on her face, and scars littered her neck. All in all, Mikan didn't know how she was going to go to school. It was hard enough to cover up the beatings, but last nights fiasco was going to be impossible. The thought of skipping school quickly fleeted her mind, if she skipped school one more time, the principal threatened to flunk her and have her repeat the grade. God knows Kyo's reaction would be to that. He'd probably kill her, and Mikan wasn't so cruel that she'd leave Yōichi alone.

The tap on her knee brought her back to reality.

"It's Saturday, Idiot hag"

Oh. Thank you, God, for bringing life to the person who decided to not give us school on Saturdays. But Mikan was still confused about something. Yōichi wasn't the type to tell her the days, he'd usually wait for her to make a fool of herself, by running all the way to school, only to realize what day of the week it was.

Then it hit her. _Oh_. The thought of it made her want to cry. Today was the day her best friend _and_ her _other_ best friend were leaving for Gakuen Alice Academy, the school for geniuses. Mikan was happy for them that they got in, but these were the only other people, other than Yōichi who she was actually close too. Of course neither knew of her predicament and neither knew of Yōichi's existence, she was too afraid that they would call the police. Though it may not seem like it, with both of her best friends having such uncaring and cold personalities, Mikan knew they cared, but even so, she was afraid her and Yōichi would be split up. Mikan knew it was selfish, but she didn't want to lose another family member, no matter how much suffering she made them go through, Mikan was too selfish to go to the police and stop it.

With a sigh, Mikan lifted herself off the bed and started to change. Though he never voiced it, Mikan knew Yōichi hated it when she changed in front of him. He didn't like seeing the bruises on her, he felt _responsible_, for what reason, she didn't know why. Yōichi wasn't the monster that did this; Yōichi was more of the angel, a very anti-social and monotone angel, but still an angel. Because of that, Mikan tries not to change in front of him a lot, but with a monster looming over them, she had no choice sometimes. Today was one of those days. Kyo isn't awake yet, but Mikan knew if he were too suddenly wake up, he'd be in a foul mood because of his hang over. Mikan didn't want to take the risk of sending Yōichi down there alone.

Putting on her last sock, Mikan gestured for Yōichi to go under the bed.

"Stay there till I get back, ok? I'll be back in 30 minutes till an hour"

"…"

Sighing, Mikan lied down on her second and turned her head towards the bed. Though her bed wasn't the biggest, it was big enough for a 2 year-old to squeeze in and have enough room to move. Extending her arm, Mikan put her hand in an almost fist with only her pinky sticking out.

"Pinky promise me, you will stay under there till I get back"

Wordlessly, Yōichi stared at her outstretched pinky, before looping his around it.

Smiling, Mikan un-hooked their pinkies, and got off the floor. Brushing the dust off her Brown T-shirt, with a picture of Spiderman swinging off a building, and her ripped jean shorts, Mikan headed for the door.

"Be careful" was the last thing Mikan heard from her brother. The last 2 words she heard before he exited her life.


	2. The Past

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice or any of the characters. Just the plot**_

_**2 years ago**_

**Mikan POV**

I felt broken. My 2 best friends left me. I couldn't blame them though, this was a once-in-a-life-time opportunity. Anyone would take the chance to go, it's a school for _geniuses_, of course Hotaru and Natsume would get in.

**END OF MIKAN POV**

Top of the class their whole lives, Hotaru can build almost anything, and Natsume… well he's Natsume, everyone wants him. And she's, Mikan, the girl who skips school and is almost on her way to flunking and repeating the 4th grade. The school wouldn't even bother to _breathe_ the same air as she did. The thought of that just made her even more depressed.

_No friends or parents, how pathetic_.

At least she had Yōichi. Little 2-year old, Yōichi, who should be outside playing with other kids, but instead he's squished under dusty, bloodstained floors and a lumpy, old bed. She's thankful for him, he's been there to comfort her or drag her off to the bedroom when she goes unconscious after a beating. In his own little way, Mikan knows he cares, and for that she could just cry tears of joys. Except, Yōichi tells her she looks ugly when she cries.

"Good riddance, get the brat out of here, I don't want him." The drunken yell of Kyo, snapped Mikan out of her thoughts, only to be met with a terrible sight.

_Black_. A man dressed in black was holding onto Yōichi's wrist, like there was no tomorrow. Jewelry hung from his wrists and fingers, looking like a dangerous contraption that would snap shut when too close. The man was sickly pale and wore a mask equally as white that hid his features.

_Police_

Was the first word to pop into Mikan's head, and just the thought of them got her running.

**MIKAN POV**

_Please, God, I'm sorry for being selfish, but please don't let them take Yōichi to the orphanage. Don't let them take him away from me. Please God, if you care, please do this for me_

I said that little prayer at least 2 more times, before I caught up to the man dressed in black and Yōichi.

"W-who are y-you?" My confidence was drained away as I started to realize how stupid I've been to charge into this so quickly.

The man quickly analyzed me and even through the mask, I could see that he was smiling. Though I didn't understand why. What was so funny about being yelled at by a drunk man and having an 9 year old girl, out of breath, with foundation dripping down her face revealing her bruises and scars? Maybe this man was a sadist.

"I am a representative of Gakuen Alice, a school for geniuses, and with your father's and Yōichi's consent, Yōichi will be enrolling into Gakuen Alice starting now. "

I was in too much shock to respond. I wasn't sure if I should feel happy or upset that Yōichi was finally leaving this terrible home.

_He's also leaving you_

_He's leaving you alone_

_He doesn't care about you_

A little voice in the back of my head repeated these words. Taunted me with them.

"Y-Yōuchi a-agreed?" I hated myself for sounding like I was going to cry. I wasn't, I _wouldn't_. At least not in front of Yōichi. I cared for him too much; I didn't want his last memory of me drowning in my own tears. I _wouldn't_ let his last memory of me drowning in my sorrows. Because in that moment, I realized, I didn't have any control. I didn't have control over my parent's death, the person I ended up with, the leaving of everyone I care about, but I had control over myself. Even though, I know leaving this hell would be better, because he's my angel, and angels deserve to go to heaven, I wanted him to stay with me. And the feeling of betrayal stuck with me as I saw Yōichi being lead into the fancy limousine, leaving me to stay with the devil.

**1 year ago**

"I said Get up!" His drunken slurs did nothing to motivate me. The loss of blood made my vision go woozy, but the fear in me saw everything. It saw the angry, swollen fist coming down, it saw the row of knives behind the coffee machine, it saw the beer bottle that littered the ground, and it motivated me to get up and _run_. Even though my fear motivated me to do anything Kyo asks me too, or to just run the hell out the door, my heart and brain knew better.

My heart was just a heart. All it did was beat the same old rhythm, it didn't beat the rhythm of happiness, fear, and, _gods no, love_. My heart knew better, or maybe it just didn't care. My heart didn't care about the angry, drunken slurs, it didn't care about the bruises or scars, and it didn't care for any boys either. My heart was just a heart, and if I were to picture my future, it would stay just a heart. A disgusting, bloody, hearts with veins protruding from all ends, that knew better than to stray from the same old rhythm. If it went any faster or slower, it knew I might just die.

My brain, though, was logical. It knew that if I listened to my fears, I would get raped, and if I ran I would get raped _and_ killed. I already lived for 9 years, might as well live for another one, right? And though most part of my brain _was_ logical, the illogical part of my brain, was hoping to meet Yōichi, Hotaru, and Natsume again, and for me to do that I'd have to be alive. I _needed_ to be alive. I don't want our next meeting to be separated by 6ft of dirt and minerals.

In my thoughts, I quickly registered a blood-curdling scream; 2 minutes later I realized it was me. Snapping out of my haze, I saw that Kyo's pants were discarded, leaving him in only plaid blue boxers and a grey t-shirt. His legs were on my thigh, restraining me from getting up.

"Get off of me!" I spat at his face.

"We wouldn't be in this position if you just GOT UP!" saying the last two words; Kyo grabbed my head and slammed it back onto the ground, making my vision go blurry.

"Now lets see what kind of treasures you're hiding under there." Kyo smashed his lips into mine, muffling my screams of help, and started to unbutton my jeans. In a last attempt, I kicked him in the groin, _hard_. With that Kyo fell off of me with a scream, writhing in pain.

Despite the blood loss and wooziness, I got up and ran to my room, locking the door behind me, ignoring his yells of pain and rage. Walking like a drunk, to my bed, stumbling across the floor, I landed into complete darkness.

_And through the whole thing, my heart beat the same old rhythm_


	3. Death of me

"_Mommy?"_

"_This is our new home sweety!"_

"_Mommy?" The little girl tugged on her mother's jacket, unsure_

"_Hmmm?"_

"_Mommy, there are people inside our house though!" _

"_Those people are your new father and brother, honey"_

_The little girl was confused, what did her mother mean by new? As far as she knew, her father was dead and wasn't coming back. How was he here and new?_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_These people are going to take care of us and their going to become part of our family!"_

"_Really?!" The confusion from earlier disappeared, only to be replaced by delight. Her mother wasn't going to be alone anymore! On father's day, she could finally have a father to bring in, and she even had a little brother to take care of! _

_Lost in thought, the little girl didn't notice the man and the little boy coming closer. The man had striking red hair that looked as if someone has set his head of fire. With black, bottomless eyes that seemed to hold an emotion the girl could not place._

_The little boy had short brown hair, with bangs that covered his large forehead and blue eyes that made the girl wonder if he was foreign. A dark aura seemed to come from both of them, but the girl brushed it off from just being cold. _

_The little girl stepped forward, ignoring her mother's hand on her shoulder._

"_My name is Mikan." With the cheeriness only a child could have. _

_The man seemed to analyze her and after a while he seemed satisfied. With a grin full of malice, the man stepped up, creating only a few inches of space between him and the little girl._

"_And my name is Kyo."_

Pitch black.

Mikan couldn't see anything five feet away from her and truth be told, it terrified her. Why wouldn't it? Any 10-year old would be scared of the dark, but that wasn't exactly what Mikan was scared about. Unlike most, Mikan was never scared of the monsters under her bed or in her closet, because unlike most, Mikan knew the truth. Monsters are monsters for a reason. They're scary and hideous, so why would they go through all the trouble to hide from little kids? They wouldn't. Monsters hide in plain sight, but in the dark you don't know where they are.

That's why the dark terrified her. She was terrified what was hiding behind it. Because when daylight comes by, the curtains will be open and Mikan will finally be able to see the audience. But really, what audience did she have? Kyo? He was more of the entertainer. The only people who would be willing to sit in the audience were….

2 years.

It's been 2 years since everyone she cared about left her, and 2 years since she's heard from them. It's like after they left her, they left the planet. Of course, Mikan knew that they were still alive and healthy, after all, her family was still being sent money. Why the academy was paying them for letting Yōichi go to the school for geniuses, Mikan didn't know.

Yōichi, Natsume, and Hotaru. She hasn't even received a letter from them! Here she was, trying to make money to buy stamps, to send a letter to each one of them, but they don't even have the decency to reply!

Truth be told, Mikan felt a little betrayed. Did they forget about her? Mikan wouldn't blame them if they did, she never stood out in the first place, but they were the closet people she knew! But then a conversation she heard at school struck her.

"_Kei is pretty cute" The 2 girls stood at the side of the hallways, gossiping and giggling before their next period started._

"_He is! Did you see him today, he was so KAWAII!" The girls all but squealed, causing some to openly stare wondering what they were talking about._

"_Doesn't he look kind of like Natsume?" _

_The name of her former best friend, made Mikan want to walk away from these girls and stop ease dropping. But there was still a couple minutes left before the bell signaled her next class, and it's not like Mikan had many friends, so in the end Mikan decided to stay and listen. _

"_Don't talk about him, Mikan is right there!" one of the girls nodded towards Mikan's direction. _

"_After Hotaru and Natsume left, Mikan has really been down in the dumps, hasn't she? She needs to get over it, already!" _

"_But, I've heard they both haven't even sent a letter to her. Maybe they made a lot of new friends and forgot about us." The girl sympathized for Mikan, it wasn't every day your two best friends got up and left you alone._

_A boy walking down the hall seemed to hear the last sentence, and interrupted their conversation._

"_Don't talk about Natsume like that! My dad told me that once Gakuen Alice is like a jail, and once you get in, even your parents have difficulties seeing their child."_

_A jail?_

_Were Yōichi, Hotaru, and Natsume really at a school that was like a prison?_

"_My dad also said that people there are treated like slaves!" The boy proclaimed, making the two girls gasp._

_Slaves?!_

_It made sense, the school did send money to their family, maybe it's because Yōichi is now their slave, and their paying us for him!_

_The thought made Mikan laugh._

_Maybe it was cruel to laugh in such a situation, but this school was a school for geniuses! If they were treating their students like slaves, surely the government would take action. _

_And with one more bitter laugh, the bell rang, and the conversation was being carried by the bustle of rushing students._

Back then, the conversation seemed silly, but now Mikan was grasping straws. There _had_ to be a reason why they hadn't contacted her at all! Mikan refused to believe they left her behind in the dust. Their time together was more than just _in the past_, so how come they were making it seem that way? There had to be a reason for all of this, and Mikan was determined to figure it out.

Even if it meant being killed

Yōichi, Hotaru, and Natsume meant the world to her, if the rumors were true and Gakuen Academy was like a prison, then she may never see them again. Alive, that is. Maybe they'll come to her funeral, _maybe_. Kyo was sure to kill her sooner or later, let her life be taken by trying to find three people who she loved more than life, rather than _just-in-the –moment- beating_.

**Mikan POV**

Maybe I'm fooling myself, but right now, I don't care. My death is already fated; it's destined to happen sometime. But my whole life, I've been following fate, this time I'll be running away from it. When it catches up to me, I'll be dead. When we were younger, I always told my friends and Yōichi that they'd be the death of me, back then I was joking. Maybe now it'll come true.

_Closed eyes, heart not beating, but a living love_ –Avis Corea


	4. Alice Academy

_I'm screwed. _

Were the first words that popped in my head, the moment I saw Kyo facing my direction. The lights were turned off; with only a candle lighting the way for me, but it was bright enough that if Kyo woke up, I would be dead in a minute.

An over-stuffed duffle bag over my shoulder, a string backpack stuffed filled with food and beverages, and 2,000 dollars and a credit card in my hand, wasn't a sight that would make Kyo happy. In fact, it looked like I was running away.

_You are running away_

But I hoped Kyo wouldn't figure it out. I needed to see Yōichi, Hotaru, and Natsume first, before I died. I needed to see them before I broke.

_You're already broken_

A little voice in my head spoke. I refuse to believe it though. I wasn't broken, I just had cracks.

_Squeak_

I was frozen on the spot. The sound of the bedsprings moving was enough signal to run, but my legs refused to budge.

_Run_

I can't.

_He's going to wake up soon, run_

I can't.

The sound of shuffling feet, that weren't mine, made me look up. There was Kyo, with bed head, staring right in my direction. I prayed to God he couldn't see me through the blankets of darkness and thank God, God was on my side.

Kyo looked around for a second, his eye's moving off me, before lying back down. The sound of his snores soon filled his bedroom, signaling that it was time to move.

_RUN_

This time, I listened.

**2 HOURS LATER**

_Shit. Where am I?_

The streets were crowded with strangers, and, though I was lost, I was glad. In the strange streets of Tokyo, there were others dressed like me. Though, none were 10 year-old girls, I didn't stick out like a sore-thumb. In fact, people didn't even give me a second glance.

Living in a small town, I easily got lost in the bustling streets of Tokyo. As far as I could see were skyscrapers and high building everywhere.

_Why is there a television is such a place?_

The train ride here was 10 hours, but my determination did not waver, but where exactly _is Alice Academy?_

I've asked the taxi driver, but he didn't give me an exact answer. The housewives didn't even give me glance when I tried to ask them. So I was totally, utterly lost in the city of Tokyo.

_Don't give up!_

"Hey miss!" A deep voice made it's way over the crowd.

"Huh?" Were they talking to me?

"Oh wow she's kind of cute."

Two boys emerged from the busy crowd and made there way towards me.

_Remember, smile. You promised Hotaru, you would._

"Are you talking to me?"

"I heard you asking for Alice Academy." One boy, withy squinty eyes, said.

"Yea! I want to enroll there." Maybe these guys can help me!

"I see… You know, it's really hard to get into."

"I know! But my little brother and 2 best friends got in, and I need to enroll!"

"Well lucky for you, there's a prep school nearby."

"A prep school?" I didn't know there was one; then again I grew up in a small town. Surely, these boys knew more than I did.

"Mhmm. If you go, it'll guarantee your entry into Alice Academy."

"Really?" I wonder how hard it was to pass the prep school…

"Of course! After you've gone there, you'll get accepted without a doubt." Squinty eye's companion, yelled.

Squinty eye gave his companion a glare, before giving me a smile. It was so quick; surely it must have been my imagination.

"The prep school is popular and the class is already full, but, because you're cute, we'll help you out"

_Because, I'm cute?_

It was an odd excuse to help me out, but these guys couldn't be like Kyo, could they? My suspicion started to act up, but I quickly pushed it back down. It was a compliment, nothing else, if I am going to see Yōichi, Natsume, and Hotaru again; I have to stop being paranoid.

"Really?! I 'm so glad! I heard Tokyo is a horrible place, but there are very nice people."

The 2 boys shuffled me towards there van before an melodic voice made us freeze.

"Just a minute!"

Turning around, I was met with a man? A woman?

The man turned his sight towards me, before looking back at the 2 guys.

"Where are you going to take this little kitty-cat?

_Who is this guy? He's making me even wait more before I get to see Yōichi, Natsume, and Hotaru, again_

"What are you doing?" Exclaimed Squinty eye's companion.

"What? I'm a teacher of Alice." This guy was sparkling as he said it.

_Who is he kidding?_

"That's a lie!" Said squinty eye, his companion, and I all at the same time.

"Come on, let's go. Don't mind him." Grabbing onto my hand, Squinty eye and companion made there way back to their car.

"Little girl, don't fall for this guy trick, there's no way he's a teacher…"

"Wait a minute!" Girly-Man shouted. Running over, he made his way in front of us.

"Let us say goodbye" A sweetly smiles on his lip.

"Y-y-yes." The 2 guys stuttered.

_Where is this black aura coming from? _

With wide eyes, I watched as squinty and his friend ran off without me.

_What just happened? What about the prep school!_

"That was close."

"Huh?"

"You should also go home," The Girly-Man said, with a gentle smile.

_Good Heavens! I have never seen one so close…._

"Now I know who you are! You are a transvestite!"

"…Huh?" The Girly-Man looked confused, with my response.

"A transvestite!"

"Hmmm, I'm afraid not." The person seemed to get over the shock, and quickly recovered.

"I'm sorry, but why did you interfere?"

"Interfere?"

"Those men, they were going to get me enrolled into Alice Academy! I was finally going to meet up with my friends and little brother!"

"Ah. You've been tricked!"

"Tricked?"

"Yes, there is no actual prep school for Alice Academy. Those type of shady guys, track down innocent children into enrolling into some shady school and ripping them off."

"Ah. I'm so sorry! You saved me, but instead I called you a Transvestite. I'm really sorry!"

"No problem at all. So you came to Alice, because you want to find your friend and little brother?"

"Right" This man was really nice, but what if he was like the two other guys? A shady man ready to rip me off?

"Right! How are you feeling now? Do you feel strange?"

"Huh?" Why was this guy asking such odd questions, just now? Did he drug me? But I feel no different.

The man paused for a second, he seemed confused about something.

_Maybe he thought you would be different_

Maybe, he was waiting for thanks! How could I not thank a man who just saved me!

The sweet dumplings! Maybe I could give him some of those… But I'm so hungry.

_He's helping you, best to be polite._

Fine.

"Would you like some sweet dumplings? I bought this in Asakusa for my friend. So now I'm broke."

"You… Really want to go to Alice that bad?" The strange teacher asked, while stuffing his face.

"YES! NO MATTER WHAT!" I have to get away from Kyo. _Please help me_. I silently added.

"Okay, would you like to try?"

"Try…?"

"I will let you enroll. Of course there will be a few tests, but I think you'll make it." With a gentle smile.

.

.

.

.

I pinched myself to see if I was dreaming. No way would I be accepted this fast! I'm not even a genius!

"Don't Lie! Why are you tricking me?!" _Please don't be lying._

"I'm telling the truth!"

"B-but I'm not a genius or anything!"

"Ah.. That's only how we've explained it to others. But the true meaning of "Alice" is not "Genius""

The conversation my classmate had popped in my head. Perhaps it meant _slave_.

"-But it actually means "Natural Born Powers"

To be a slave?

"-This school has gathered a lot of different people with special natural born power. This is a Super Elite School."

A Super Elite School?

"So I… I also have what you called "Natural Born Powers"?"

"Maybe! Of Course! (**If no one has noticed, this transcript is from the Manga, with slight changes, I'm sorry if some of it doesn't make sense.)**

So, I have powers? Like Super Powers?

_You're useless_

Kyo's voice rang in my head. Where were these powers when I needed them most?

_It's because this man was lying_

But if he wasn't…. It would make sense. It would fit why, Yōichi always scared off kids and why he was stranger then most. Why his teachers would complain that they swore they saw ghosts around him.

It would explain why Natsume was always never cold, even when the temperature reached 15 degrees, Fahrenheit. Maybe he had the power to be a heat pack….

Though I couldn't think of what power, Hotaru could possibly possess. As long as I've known her, Hotaru never seemed strange, unlike Natsume and Yōichi. Except for her blank stare, she showed no weird symptoms.

_Maybe she has the power to suck out emotions._

"If I do posses powers, what's mine?" I honestly was curious. What power did I posses? What if this man is lying? If he was, maybe this answer will out him.

"Here, I'll give you a hint." A full, blown smile that made it hard not to believe everything from his mouth was a lie.

"A hint?"

"Mhmm. Let me ask you the same question again. Do you feel any different that normal."

Except for the suspiciousness that you are lying, no.

"No. But I don't get how that'll help me figure my power out."

"That is your power! My power has no effect on you!" He said with a cheerful smile.

"What's your power?"

"I have the Pheromone Alice!" That cheerful smile still on his face,

"But what's my power?"

"Well, if I'm correct, you have the Nullification Alice."

"Nullification?"

"Mhmm, meaning, if you concentrate hard enough, any Alice is useless against you. A rare Alice you have."

Nullification, huh? It's only useful against other Alice's that means. Not against people who don't have them.

_You mean, useless against Kyo_

"Rare?"

"Not many people have that Alice. The last person at this academy who had the Alice, was a pretty long time ago."

"So I have a useless Alice?" The question has been burning on my tongue, ever since he described my Alice. It was useless against people who didn't have Alice's and as far as I could tell, it could only protect myself.

"Useless?! Where did you get that?"

"It's useless against anyone who doesn't have an Alice and I can only protect myself."

"It's true, it's useless against regular people, but the last person who had your Alice, used it to protect everyone, but himself."

"He did?"

"Yes! And with a little training, you'll learn how." The cheerful smile seemed like it was plastered to his face, and it didn't seem like it would be gone anytime.

"Anyhow." The man continued. "It's not like you won't be seeing many normal people."

"What do you mean?"

"When you're enrolled into Alice academy, you can't exit school grounds!" The man said it in his highest pitched voice, yet. Almost fooling me to believe he really was a Transvestite.

The rule about not leaving the school grounds didn't bother me, I was glad to get away from Kyo, but the undertone of the way he said it, rubbed me the wrong way.

_Stop it. You're just being paranoid._

"Now lets head to the Alice academy."

More walking. Yay. Lugging the few things I brought with me, I dragged my feet, the energy I possessed before quickly drained away, and made my way over to the cheerful man.

"Oh you're burned out! Do you want a piggy back ride?"

Is this man crazy?

"YES!" Discarding my bag, I jumped on the man's back.

"By the way, my name is Narumi." Reaching down for my bag, being careful not to drop me, as I hung from his back.

"My name is Mikan." I said, with the biggest smile on my face as we headed towards the doors of Alice Academy.


	5. New School, New Class, New People

_Slap._

_The sound of it rung through the quiet night._

"_You useless girl! This isn't the beer I wanted!" The drunken slurs fell through deaf ears. _

_Where's mommy? She's supposed to be home by 9. _

"_Are you even listening?!" The kick came, before Mikan could even react. Her stomach caved in, trying to force lunch out, but with a heavy breath, Mikan managed to keep it in. _

"_Useless girl! You can't do anything right! You can't listen or even get me the right beer!" Do you know ho-"_

_Click. The sound of the door unlocking and shuffling feet interrupted Kyo. _

"_Mikan?" Her mother's yells resonated through the large house._

"_Kyo? Is Mikan in bed?" Her mother's tired voice fell through deaf years, as no one even bothered answering. _

_The sound of her mother's footsteps coming closer made Mikan wanted to hide. She didn't want her mother to see her in such a deranged state._

_Mikan tried to sit up, only to find Kyo's foot on her shoulder. _

"_Little girl" Kyo hissed. "Quickly go upstairs and don't let your sweet little mom see you. Wouldn't want her to get hurt."_

_Nodding her head furiously, Mikan reluctantly obeyed, ignoring the sharp pains in her stomach, and as quietly as she could, tried to sneak upstairs. _

_Squeak._

_Oh no. Mikan held her breath._

"_Kyo, what was that?"_

"_Nothing. This house is getting old, it squeaks all the time." Kyo's sickly sweet voice answered. _

"_Maybe, I should check on Mikan." Her mother's footsteps made Mikan panic._

"_Or, we could make this house squeak even more." Kyo's sly comment made Mikan confuse._

_What was he going to do to her mother?_

Mikan's cheerful mood about getting into the academy was quickly diminished, by two words.

_Entrance Exam_

Mikan wasn't stupid, but she wasn't the smartest kid, either. If anything, Mikan was going to fail this exam and return to a pissed Kyo.

_Remember Mikan. Smile_

"Don't worry, it's easy! All you need to do is be accepted as a friend by your classmates in Class B."

The idea of it sounded easy, Mikan always made friends easily. It seemed as if, people liked her cheerful attitude of life, because even if life was gloomy, it did have some good points. Most people needed someone like Mikan to point that out.

"We will track your progress and decide your Alice level."

"That's it?" Mikan, now knew, this school wasn't exactly a school for geniuses, but surely an elite school wouldn't let anyone with an Alice in.

"Yes, that's it!" Narumi's cheerfulness was contagious, and soon Mikan was jumping up and down for joy,

"That's really easy!" Mikan giggled, as Narumi nodded his head in agreement, hopping along with her.

**Knock Knock**

.

"Excuse us. We're the two class representatives of Elementary Division, Class B." A high-pitched voice, with a boy-ish undertone interrupted them.

"Ah, they're here."

A young boy, with messy brown hair and big glasses hanging over his nose with the Alice Academy uniform peeked through the big wooden doors.

"Come in my dearies!"

Opening the wooden doors, two figures stepped out. Walking towards Mikan and Narumi, the boy and another figure made their way to introduce themselves.

"How may we help you?" A soft monotone voice spoke.

The speaker was a young girl with short, midnight black hair. Her pale skin seemed to glow under the light and her violet eyes seemed full of knowledge.

Violet eyes. Mikan would know those eyes form a mile away.

"Mikan, the are your class representatives."

"Ho…. HOTARU!"

Time seemed to stop. The young boy and Narumi's face slowly morphed into confusion, while Hotaru's face remained impassive.

Hotaru is here. After 2 years, Hotaru is here. Her appearance hasn't changed, though her violet eyes seemed duller than normal and she's grown an inch or two, but other than that, this was still the Hotaru, Mikan knew.

""Do you guys know each other?" Confusion slowly making Narumi's smile disappears.

Too shocked to answer, Hotaru answered in her monotone voice.

"I have never met this baka in my life."

.

.

.

Mikan was in shock. Did Hotaru really forget about her? Did Hotaru make new friends and left any memory of Mikan behind? Mikan felt her self close to tears, but quickly slapped a smile on her face. Even if Hotaru didn't remember her, she would still remember that Mikan was uglier with a frown then with a smile.

_But I can't._

_You have to_

_I can't_

_Smile, for Hotaru_

_I CAN'T_

"HOTARU!" Mikan cried out, launching herself at Hotaru. "YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER ME."

"Don't com near me, you ugly baka." Hotaru said, with a slight tone of disgust creeping into her usual monotone voice.

"Hotaru…" Mikan whispered.

"Don't come near me, the Mikan I knew was much prettier…."

_Smile for Hotaru_

Hotaru didn't forget her? She really did remember her? Mikan wasn't sure if she should burst into tears again or faint from relief.

Rubbing away her tears, Mikan tried to appear strong for Hotaru.

_Remember you promised Mom, Yōichi, Hotaru, and Natsume…._

"I can't smile, Hotaru." Mikan sniffled. "I'm too happy, is this okay?" Mikan asked, while holding her cheeks out trying to create a smile.

"I wanted to see you so badly Hotaru, so I travelled all the way here!"

Hotaru sighed. Was her friend really that stupid to travel to the hell of Alice Academy just to see her friends? Hotaru wondered when she even considered becoming friends with stupid people.

"Come here, dummy" Hotaru's voice held a tone of affection to it, and before anyone could restrain her, Mikan launched herself at Hotaru.

5 minutes later, Mikan was still clinging onto Hotaru like a lifeline.

"Uh..eh Mikan, was it?" The little boy who walked in here with Hotaru earlier interrupted.

Reluctantly unbinding herself from Hotaru, Mikan faced the boy with a smile.

"Yes, I'm Mikan!" Mikan's wide smile was contagious, and soon the boy was smiling with his own little smile as well.

"I am the other class representative, along with Hotaru. My name is Yū Tobita. Most of out classmates just call me linchō, though."

"Hi linchō! I hope we have a good year together"

Yu's face turned 5 shades of red, before nodding and hiding behind Narumi's leg.

With a chuckle, Narumi gathered Mikan and Hotaru, and led the way to the classroom with the 3 children behind him. Their footsteps echoed in the long and empty hallway as everyone was in class.

Stopping in front of a grand set of doors, next to a wonderful painting of a bunch of… rocks? Narumi introduced the set of doors as the entrance to their classroom.

"Well.. Mikan, go make some friends." Narumi smiled, before walking down the hall.

Wasn't Narumi a teacher here? Maybe he was going back to his class to teach. Mikan briefly wondered what class the vivacious teach would teach.

The boy, linchō opened the set of doors and into a room full of chaos.

"Welcome to, Elementary Division Class B."

Silence.

The earlier chaos, quickly ceased to exist, and the many stares followed after it.

_The entrance exam may be easier said than done._ Mikan thought with a groan.

**For all of you cursing my name, or my user name, depends who you are, don't worry. Natsume will show up next chapter, and because Yōichi is younger and in a different class than Mikan, and the fact, that no one **_**knows**_** they are siblings, he won't be appearing till later chapters.**


	6. Familiar Faces

_I don't belong_ _here_

Mikan thought, as she saw two kids flying away as paint colors chased after them. Students were at their desk, goggles on head, mixing strange liquids together, as another made cookies come to life.

"Ah, I'm sorry. You maybe be confused in a class like this, but you have anything you don't understand, please ask me."

A class like this…?

"_If you get along with the people in this class, you'll pass the test_" Mr. Narumi's high-pitched voice rung through Mikan's head.

This class…. It doesn't seem very "easy"

_Don't be a pessimist, Mikan_

"Yo class rep." A pitchy voice yelled out.

Mikan looked around, but could see no one that could have spoken.

"Who is she?" The pitchy voice seemed to be coming from…. Above?

Slowly, Mikan lifter her head only to be met with a floating boy, with brown hair and brown eyes.

"Oh she is.." Yu started to say, only to be interrupted by a boy reading a thick book and glasses resting on his nose.

"I heard them talking at the gates. She's the new kid that Naru brought in."

H-h-how? Mikan was sure no one this far away could here her conversation from all away outside the school. Mikan couldn't even here anything from the next classroom! Mikan's body was frozen in shock, numbly hearing Hotaru's voice in the background.

"The power to float and extraordinary hearing are not all that surprising in Alice Academy"

To Mikan, it seemed that everything here was considered normal. Mikan wasn't sure if she could ever impress these peoples, Mikan wasn't even sure if she could become friends with these peoples.

She was in a daze, watching these people with amazing powers.

_Not powers. Alice's_

How could people like this exist in the world? How could Mikan even consider being like them? These people were amazing!

Mikan briefly wondered if this was all an amazing magic show, consisted with wires hanging from the ceiling and technology that shouldn't exist till the next era.

Lost in her daze, Mikan didn't notice Hotaru calling her name. Until she found herself with a huge bruise on her head and 3 feet away from her previous spot and outside the classroom.

Hotaru, not even glancing at Mikan's deranged state, walked over to her and continued on.

"I don't know what kind of Alice you have, but I'll tell you one thing." Hotaru's voice had a hint of irritation in them as she mentioned Mikan's Alice, and Mikan briefly wondered why.

_Hotaru hates not knowing things_

Oh yea.

"We are complete strangers here, okay?"

Huh?

"I'm aiming for the "Best Student Award" this year. I don't want to get involved with you and your troubles."

Did Hotaru just admit that she cared more for this award then her own best friend?

"Hotaru?"

"This school isn't like normal schools and you'll have a lot to deal with, but good luck."

The impassive look seemed glued to Hotaru's face as she left the shock Mikan on the floor and headed back into the classroom.

.

.

.

HOTARU?!

It seemed like hours, until Mr. Narumi made his way through the hallway and to the shocked Mikan.

"Mikan, what are you doing on the floor? You're going to get your uniform dirty. Well head on to your classroom, don't want to keep your classmates waiting!" Narumi's shrill voice brought Mikan back into reality.

Absorbing in her current situation, Mikan's shock soon turned into confusion.

"Mr. Narumi, what are you doing here, aren't you supposed to be teaching?"

Narumi giggled at Mikan's question and with one spare glance, before heading towards the grand doors of class B, Natsume answered Mikan's question.

"What do you think I'm doing?"

Confused, Mikan followed Mr. Narumi back inside the chaotic classroom. When she faced the class, with Mr. Narumi besides her, Mikan noticed the chaos ceased and went back to the state when she first walked in.

Mikan fidgeted under their watchful stares and wished the class would start soon.

Clearing his throat, Mikan looked up at the man who resided beside her, and watched as the class did the same.

"Hello Class!" Narumi's girl-ish voice sent Mikan into _yet another_ state of shock.

Mr. Narumi was their teacher? Mikan guessed it made sense, with his child-ish attitude, how he got along with the Class representatives, and how he seemed to know his way through the school, but initially Mikan thought nothing of it.

_How come he didn't come with us earlier than?_

"This is our new friend, Mikan Sakura. Everyone please be nice to her."

_Remember first impressions count_

"Hi, I'm Mikan Sakura. Nice to meet you" Mikan said with her best smile.

"What's your Alice?" A beautiful girl with green hair shouted out.

"Why, Mikan's Alice is Nullification!" Narumi's shrill voice interrupted what Mikan was going to say.

"Nullification?" The whole class started whispering when they heard her Alice.

"What the heck is Nullification?"

"Sounds boring"

"What does Nullification even do?"

"Maybe it nullifies her brain"

The whispers were starting to get to Mikan. Maybe she couldn't do this. These people didn't seem to like her Alice all that much, and they didn't seem that friendly.

Through the crowds of whispers, a hand shot up in the cloud.

"Anna?"

A pretty girl with wavy pick hair and blue eyes stood up through the mist of students.

"I'm sorry, I never heard of someone with Nullification, what does it do?" As she spoke, a slight country accent made it's way through, making her voice sound adorable.

"And right you should be, Anna! Nullification is a rare Alice, the last person who had it has already died, and it was almost a decade ago! Nullification is the Alice to nullify any Alice!" Narumi's cheerful voice seemed to bring out even more whispers than before.

The green hair girl from before stood up again, without raising her hand and spoke.

"It can nullify any Alice? How does that work?"

"Next time, Sumire, raise your hand! And the Nullification Alice can stop an Alice from being used and can stop the user from being affected by an Alice."

With this, no more hands were raised and Mikan was sent to the back to sit.

As she walked back, the whispers seemed to get more pronounced and more people seemed to glare at her.

"She's like an Anti-Alice"

"It's not like she can even control her Alice, we don't have anything to worry about."

"She's like an opposite Alice…"

_Don't let them bring you down, Mikan_

With her last few steps, Mikan added a hop into her step and a bigger smile to show that their whispers and glare didn't affect her.

All the way in the back was only one more row, occupied by only 2 students, both being boys. The one farthest to her, raised his head from the magazine he was reading, and Mikan was met with the clearest blue.

The boy had golden hair that seemed to shin under the classroom lights and sparkling blue eyes, with flecks of gold in them. His appearance reminded Mikan of prince charming.

"Hi. I'm Ruka." He nodded his head in greeting.

_Oh no_, _he's here too?_

"I know. I'm Mikan" Mikan shouted, with the biggest grin on her face.

"You do?" The boy seemed shocked at this revelation, but confusion soon clouded his features.

"Mikan?!" The boy seemed surprised to see his old neighbor in Alice Academy.

"Hi Ruka!" Mikan yelled as she launched herself as him to give him a hug. The force of it knocked them both down, as the class only sat dumbfounded at how the new girl knew _The Ruka_. Ignoring the looks and getting up, Mikan turned to greet the boy who she was going to sit next to.

"Hi. I'm Mikan!" The class seemed to cringe at her yelling once again.

Her yell seemed to stir the boy awake. The manga that was previously resting on his face, to hide the fact he was sleeping, slipped off as he sat up.

Mikan turned to greet him, only to stare in shock.

The boy seemed equally as shock to see her here, and Mikan swore she saw a flash of panic in his eyes.

_Those red eyes_

_Red eyes_

_He's here_

"N-N-Natsume?"

**Sorry, this chapter and last chapter may be a little confusing. Especially the new revelation on Mikan and Ruka's relationship, but it's needed for the future of the story. Bare with me, I promise the story will get better.**


	7. Nicknames

**For those reading my story, it may seem a little confusing. I would just want to clarify things, before I get comments asking about it. Kyo never raped Mikan, he would attempt, but this was one of things she would not accept from him. She was, though abused, along with Yōichi. Mikan is, of course, messed up about all the abuse she went through and how her mother and her always seemed to be running away and moving. Even so, Mikan tries to always smile as to no worry her friends or her little brother, Yōichi. Though, on the outside she's cheery and stupid, her thoughts are dark. Now let me clarify something else.**

**Relationships:**

**Yōichi: Mikan's little-not-really-brother. He has never met Hotaru or Natsume outside of Alice Academy and doesn't know that those two were Mikan's best friend, either.**

**Ruka: Back, before her mother married Kyo and Mikan's life turned into hell, they were neighbors. This was also before, Natsume moved into his town and Ruka and him became friends. Mikan and Ruka, though not very close, were friends and often talked and played with each other.**

**Hotaru: Best friends with Mikan and was only friends with Natsume, because of Mikan, so when they both arrived at Alice Academy, they barely talked, but everyone knew, they knew each other outside of Alice Academy. **

**Natsume: Reluctantly, Best friends with Mikan, he did not know of her life with Kyo. Before he became met Mikan, he lived in Ruka's town, and became friends with Ruka, but then he had to move again because of Alice Academy and had to move to Mikan's town. **

_Hotaru is here_

_Yōichi is here_

_Ruka is here_

_Natsume is here_

_Shit_

"Who are you?" The smooth voice cut through the startle gasps of the class.

_He doesn't remember?_

"Oh, sorry, I'm Mikan!" Once again, Natsume flinched from her yells.

"Go away, I'm sleeping." As he said that, Natsume was already stretching his legs and grabbing his Manga to place on hide his face.

All Mikan could do was gape, was this really Natsume? Even if he didn't remember her, he should still have the decency to be polite.

Plucking the Manga right off his face, Mikan made a face. Sticking her tongue at him and scrunching up her face, Mikan held the manga high up in the air.

"What?" Mikan was pleased when she sensed the hint of irritation in his voice.

"What's your name?"

"Natsume, now go away." Natsume's red eyes darkened with irritation

_So this is Natsume_

With a sigh, knowing that's all she was going to get from him, Mikan swiftly turned away from the rude boy, and gave the manga to Ruka.

"Sorry about him, he's just a little tired." Ruka apologized, grabbing the manga out of Mikan's awaiting hand, although him and Mikan both knew that wasn't the reason.

"He should learn to sleep without his teddy bear once in a while then." Mikan smirked, when she felt the red glow of annoyance.

"Um. I don't think you should say that, Mikan" Ruka looked around nervously

"Why not? He's rude and everyone should know it!" Mikan declared, while the class held their breath.

"Like everyone should hear your yelling, Polka dots?"

_Polka dots?_

_Wha-THAT PERVERT_

Turning so fast, Mikan almost tripped, she looked at the boy in disbelief.

_HE DOES REMEMBER_

"Y-YO-YOU PERVERT!" Mikan yelled, giving the children with extraordinary hearing a stroke.

"YOU NO GOOD, ROTTEN, PERVERTED, UN-SANITARY-"

"Un-sanitary?"

"BALLOON HEADED, PERVERT!" Mikan bellowed.

She couldn't believe him. He was calling her, her old nickname that came from the fact she had child-ish underwear patterns.

The screeching of a desk being roughly shoved was heard over the silent gasps of the people around her.

"What did you just say, you freak?" An eerily calm voice, wafted through the silence.

Mikan recognized her. The beautiful, curly-haired, girl, with emerald locks.

_What was her name again? Sumo?_


End file.
